Bottle-capping machine.



J. BARDSLEY.

BOTTLE GAPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION IILED JAN. 23, 1912.

Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

6 SHEETS-SHEBT 1.

Ina @1507? J BARDSLEY.

BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.23, 1912.

Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

6 SHEETSSHEET 2 J. BARDSLEY. BOTTLE CAPPING MACHINE.

E (Q 5k. .& mm hgq B J. BARDSLEY.

BOTTLE GAPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 23, 1912,

9 1 ,3%& Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

, U x Z wflw ac J. BARDSLEY.

BOTTLE GAPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.23,1912

Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

6 SHEETSSHEET 5.

J. BARDSLEY.

BOTTLE GAPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 23, 1912.

JOSEPH BARDSLEY, OF YEADON, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO DAIRYMEN S SUPPLY COMPANY, OF LANSDOWNE, PENNSYLVANIA, ACORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

BOTTLE-CAPPING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 2; 1915.

Application filed January 23, 1912. Serial Bio. 672,905.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH BAnnsLnr, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Yeadon, Delaware county, Pennsylvania,

shall be relatively simple, compact and substantial in construction; shall have its parts so arranged as not easily to get out of order, and which shall be relatively inexpensive to make, as well as convenient to operate.

Another object of the invention is to provide a bottle capping machine including novel means for feeding caps or closures from reservoirs holding the same to the con tainer to be capped, which means shall have its parts constructed and arranged in such manner as to make practically impossible the jamming of a cap in the event ofits failing to be discharged from the machine or properly positioned in a container.

1 also desire to provide a novel form of cap feeding machine which in addition to being of a relatively simple and substantial construction may be easily and quickly taken apart to permit of the removal or examination of its parts; it being particularly desired to provide a novel form of cap feeding slide especially designed to prevent jamming of the caps.

A further object of'the invention is to provide a machine having independent slide and plunger mechanism for feeding and applying caps or closures which, while being arranged to be operated by a single movement of an operating lever, shall have its movements properly timed; the invention also contemplating means for locking the slide mechanism so as to prevent movement thereof while the cap applying plunger is in operation.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel means for detachably connecting independent slide and plunger actuating mechanism when it is desirable that these parts should be simultaneously operated; the arrangement being such that'the operation of said parts is accomplished by a single lever.

These objects and other advantageous ends adjusted to operate on pint bottles; certain of its parts being in the positions occupied under working conditions; Fig. 3, is a front elevation of the main portion of the bottle capping machine, showing it as equipped to operate on four bottles at the same time; Fig. 4, is a horizontal section on the line aa,- Fig. 1; Fig. 5, is a horizontal section on a somewhat enlarged scale, taken on the line b-b, Fig. 7; Figs. 6 and 7, are side elevations, partly in section and on a larger scale than Fig. 1, illustrating the slide and plunger mechanism in their two extreme positions; Fig. 8, is a perspective View, illustrating certain details of the slide mechanism; Fig. 9, is a perspective view of one of the plungers; Fig.- 10, is a plan, partly in section, illustrating the detail construction of the locking means for the slide mecha nism; Fig. 11, is an'enlarged section on the line 0-0, Fig. 3 illustrating detail of my invention; and Fig. 12, is a fragmentary section, illustrating a modification of a portion of, my invention.

In the above drawings, a supporting frame is provided by four uprights or standards 1 and 1 of which the members of the front pair carryand are connected by a saddle or tank support 2 and the back pair are similarly connected by a second saddle or tank support 3. These two saddles are designed to carry the tank 4 for the liquid to be introduced into the bottles which'it is desired to fill. In addition, each of the standards 1 is connected to one of the front standards 1 by horizontally extending bars 5 which, in the present instance are of angle section and together form a track or guideway for the carriage supporting the bottles or other containers to be filled.

The machine illustrated in the drawings is designed to simultaneously fill and thereafter cap a line of four bottles, but it is to he understood that it is immaterial whether the number of bottles operated on be greater or less than that illustrated. The tank 4 may be equipped with any suitable form of bottle filling mechanism which, as it forms no part of the present invention, has not been shown in detail. This mechanism is moved into and out of engagement with the bottles to be filled by a handle 6 in the manner well understood in this art.

Each of the standards 1 has fixed to it, immediately under or adjacent the tank 4, a horizontally extending guide bar 7 on which is slidably mounted an upwardly extending frame 8, having side members 8 and a bottom plate 8 hereafter referred to more in detail. In order to move this frame 8 with its bottle capping mechanism toward and from the front of the tank 4 for the purpose of adjusting such mechanism to operate on bottles or lines of bottles whose distance from the succeeding bottle or line of bottles may vary, 1 provide on each side of the frame 8 a rearwardly extending lug 9, to each of which is connected a link 10; said .links being in turn connected to arms 11 and both of said arms being fixed to a transversely extending shaft 12. One end of this shaft has fixed to it an operating lever 13 having a portion provided with a slot 14. Through this slot extends a clamping screw having a head 15, threaded into a suitable recess on the structure 7, whereby the lever 13 may be clamped in any given position,

so as to hold the frame 8, and its attached parts at any desired position relatively to the tank 4 and the filling'mechanism carried thereby.

' In the present case, the frame 8 is shown in Fig. 1 at a distance from the tank such as will be necessary to permit the machine to operate on quart bottles, while in Fig. 2, the lever 13, and its attached parts, are shown as adjusted to permit the machine to operate on pint bottles.

The bottom plates 8 of the frame 8 are attached to the main frame structure by two bolts 8 at each end, and each of said bolts has a portion passing through a preferably rectangular opening 8 in said bottom plate, said portion being circular in outline except that it is flattened at one side. By loosening the nuts 8 on said bolts, these latter may be turned to a greater or less extent as shown in Fig. 11, so that one corner of said flattened side of each of them engages the wall of its opening in the bottom plate and raises the latter, thus adjusting the position of the slides hereafter described.

As best shown by Figs. 6 and 7, the frame 8 has at its back part plunger-guiding portions 16, in each of which is mounted a main tubular plunger 17 of the form shown in Fig. 9, and having a longitudinally extending key-way 18 for the reception of a screw 19 in the guiding structure 16, whereby said plunger is prevented from turning. The

lower end of this main plunger is enlarged- -as indicated at 17 and has a tapering funnel-shaped mouth 20, leading to a cavity 21 in which operates the head 22 of an ejecting plunger 23. The main plunger is provided with a transverse slot 24 opening into one side of the cavity 21 to permit of a bottle cap being inserted under the head 22 of the ejecting plunger when this is in its elevated position, as shown in Fig. 6. It should be noted that the cavity 21 is inwardly tapered below the slot 24 so as to temporarily retain a bottle cap until this is forced out of the main plunger by the ejecting plunger.

The ejecting plunger has fixed to its upper end an operating rod 25 passing through a transversely extending bar 26 whose ends 27 are so formed as to slide in guideways 28 in the side frame 8 whereby a straight line vertical movement of said bar, and its attached parts, is assured. Each of the rods 25 has a cross bar 29 pivotally attached to -'its upper end, whereby it is removably held to the bar 26 and also has adjustably mounted on it a pair of nuts, indicated at 30, between which. and an abutment piece 31 is mounted a spring 32; it being noted however, that when said parts are in the positions shown in Fig. 6, said spring is not only.

uncompressed, but is not engaged by the abutment piece 31. A second spring 33 extends between the head 31 and the other end of the plunger 17; the arrangement and adjustment of the parts being such that the cross bar 29, resting on the bar 26, holds the ejecting plunger- 23 in its upper position and thereby also holds the main plunger 17 in its raised position. By turning said cross bar on its pivot into line with its rod 25, it may be dropped through said bar 26 and the plunger 23 be removed for cleaning or inspection.

Rotatably mounted on the bar 26 are a pair of arms 34 whose upper ends are pivoted at 35 to angle levers 36, each having one end pivoted at 37 to one of the side frames 8. The free end of each of these angle 1evers is provided with a transverse pin 38 operative in a slot 39 of a cam 40 fixed to a transversely extending shaft 41 mounted in the upper part of the side frames. This transverse shaft has one end extending beyond one side of the frame 8 and has fixed to it an operating arm or lever 42 and a connecting arm 43. This latter has a curved slot 44 opening at one side and then extending at right angles for a short distance, as shown in Fig. 7.

In front of each of the plunger-guiding structures 16 is mounted an upwardly extending tube or other suitable form of reservoir 45 for holding the caps or closures to be applied by the machine to bottles or jars and each of said reservoirs is open at the bottom except for the edges 46 of a slide guide way, which extends under it. These guideways,

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as shown in Figs. 3 and 5, are formed in and extend through the bottom of frame 8; being offset along the upper corners of their edges to provide slideways for the caps. In each of the guideways, I provide a slide 52 designed to successively transfer caps from a reservoir 45 to its main plunger 17.

As shown in Fig. 8, each of the slides 52 consists of an elongated plate of uniform thickness having its front end concaved to approximately the curvature of the caps operated on and all of the slides are rigidly fixed to a transversely extending supporting structure, in this instance, formed by two parallel bars and 51. These are rigidly connected by tie pieces 53 and their end portions slide in the slots 54 formed in the end portions of the bottom frame; the bar 51 having its ends extended beyond said frame to provide journals 55. On each of these journals is rotatably mounted one end of a rod 56 having a head 57 on its opposite ,end and carrying a spring 58.

livoted to each of the side frames 8 is a lever 59 one of whose ends is formed to receive one of the rods 56 between its spring 58 and an adjustable abutment formed by a nut 60; the arrangement being such that in the event of more than a predetermined resistance being opposed to the inward movement of the bars 50 and 51 and their slides; said springs 58 would be compressed without forcibly moving said slides inwardly to the possible injury of someof the parts.

The upwardly extending arm of each of the levers 59 has adjacent'its end a pin designed to enter the slot 41 of the lever arm 43 and in order to hold these levers 59, with the slides 52 in their forward position, I provide a locking device consisting of a spring-latch 66 mounted on one of the side frames 8 and having a recess 67 for the reception of a projection 68 formed on the lever arm 59. The spring-latch 66 has an inclined edge designed to lead the projection 68 into its recess and is at all times pressed outwardly so as to engage said projection by means of a small plunger 62 actuated by a spring 69.

It should be noted that each of the cap reservoirs 45 has near its lower end a small opening a5 for the reception of a pin of suitable form whereby the various caps may be held from dropping out of said reservoir when the slides 52 are removed for any purpose. The upper portion of each reservoir is vertically slotted, as shown at 45 and a weight 45 is provided within the reservoir in order that it may at all times press the column of caps toward the outlet at the bottom thereof.

For thesupport of the box or tray ac .holding the bottles or jars to be filled, I provide 65 a carriage 70 slidably mounted on the tracks provided bythe members 5 of the frame of the machine.= This carriage, which, in

the present instance, is an open framework having a transverse or other form of abutment 71 for preventing rearward movement of the tray or box 00 thereon, has a suitable number of transversely extending bars 72 constituting ratchet teeth placed to 005perate with a suitable actuating pawl designed to periodically move the carriage forward for a predetermined distance.

For supporting the pawl actuating mechanism, I provide a pair of brackets 73 extending downwardly from the tracks 5 of the frame and connected by two transverse rods or bars 74 and 75. On the former is mounted a lever 76 having a weighted arm 77, whereby the second arm is normally .maintained in an elevated position, as

shown. This second'arm has pivoted to it a pair of pawls 78 and 79; the latter of which is so Weighted by a heavy mass of metal 80 that its operating arm at all times tends to project upwardly above its pivot 81. The second pawl 78 is so mounted on the same pivot 81 that it tends to remain in the inclined position shown in Fig. 1, with a substantially fiat face inclined upwardly from said pivot, and it is to be noted that it is designed to cooperate with the pawl 79 under certain conditions. v

Extending between the lower of the two standards 1 is a rod 82 on which is mounted a foot lever 88, provided with an upwardly extending arm connected by a link' A suitable operation of the handle 6 actuv ates these filling valves and causes the bottles to be filled. When the handle 6 has been returned to its normal position and the various filling valves raised, the foot lever 83 is depressed from the position shown in Fig; l to that shown in Fig. 2, thereby turning the lever 76 on its pivot shaft 74 and bringing the pawl 79 into engagement with the first of the abutments or teeth 72 on the carriage 70; it being noted that the continued depression of the foot lever after causing such engagement moves forward the carriage and tray. Unless some, means were taken to prevent it, the carriage with the tray might slide beyond the desired point at which the row of filled bottles would be brought under the plungers 17, and for this purpose, the machine is so designed that when the carriage has been moved the proper distance one end of the pawl 78 rests upon the transverse rod 75 and at the same time projects upwardly into the path of the particular abutment 72 engaged by the pawl 79, thus efi'ectually stopping the carriage at any desired point.

When the pressure on the operating arm of the foot lever 83 is removed, the weight 77 causes the'lever 76 and all the parts connected thereto to be returned to the positions shown in Fig. 1; it being noted that the weight 80 at all times retains the pawl in a position ready for'operation, while the second pawl 78 beingwedge-shaped in both directions from its pivot 81, is merely drawn out from between the shaft 75 and the abutment 72 and is thereafter'ready for another operation. A second line of bottles is thus brought into position under the filling valves of the tank 4, while the first row of bottles previously filled, is inplace directly under the four plungers 17. Under these conditions, the various parts are in the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 6, and each slide 52 is fully under its reservoir 45; it being noted that each main plunger 17 already contains a cap y held from falling out by the inwardly inclined lower sides of the cavity 21' therein. If, now, the handle .42 be moved from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2, the arm 43 and'with it the arm 59 are both moved rearwardly until the projection 68 on said latter arm rides over the inclined surface of the latch 66 and finally enters the recess 67 thereof, thereby locking the slides in their outer positions and permitting a cap from each reservoir 45 to fall on to the slide guide 46 immediately under it and in front of the slide 52.

Owing to the form and construction of the slot 44 of the lever 43, the latter disengages,

the pinon the lever 59 by the time the latter has engaged the latch 66, so that the operating arm 42 is free to continue its movement to the position shown in Fig 2, without further affecting the cap-feeding mechanism. The consequent partial revolution of the shaft 41 and with it of the cam 40 causes a swinging 0f the levers 36 on their pivots 37 from the position.shown in Fig. 6 to that shown in Fig. 7, with the result that the arms 34 are moved into the plane of the various rods 25 and form toggles with the levers 36.

The first result of this swinging of the arms 34 onthe bars 26 is to cause a downward movement of the main plungers 17 out of their guides 16 and with them the auxiliary plungers 23, so that the former are caused to engage the tops of the bottles or jars m which thus enter their recessed lower ends 20. As soon as said .plungers have seated themselves on the tops of the bottles,

" the further turning of the arms 34 toward the position shown in Fig. 7, causes a compression of the springs 33 and a relative downward movement of the ejecting plungers 23 until their heads 22 engage the caps y carried by the lower portions of the main plungers. Thereafter the continued compression of the'springs 33 causes each of the heads 31 to engage and thereafter compress the inner springs 32 so that each of the eject ing plungers is forcibly pushed down and finally caused to move the cap 11/ out of the main plunger into the recess in the top of the bottle or jar.

Movement of the operating arm 42 from the position shown in Fig. 2, in the direction of the arrow, results in a reversal of the above series of operation, since it so moves the cams 40 that the levers 36 are turned in a direction to break the toggles formed by the arms 34 and the levers 36. Said arms 34 are then drawn upwardly by the levers 36; the ejecting plungers 23 being drawn into the main plungers 17 and thereafter with them are returned to the position shown in Fig. 6. Just previous to their reaching this position, however, the upward movement of the operating arm 42 brings the arm 43 connected thereto to such a position that the pin 65 enters its slot 44 and thereafter forciblydraws the pro ection 68 of the lever 59 out of engagement with the spring latch. The final upward movement of the arm 42 thereafter swings the levers 59 on their pivots and through the springs 58 and rods 56 moves rearwardly the bars 56 and 51 with their slides 52. Said slides passing under the reservoirs 45 push the.

operating arm 42 again withdraws the slides from under the mouths of the reservoirs 45 and after latching the levers 59 so that no further movement of the cap-delivering. ap-

paratus is possible, again places i the caps,

just deposited in the plungers in the mouths ofthe bottles of another row.

It will be understood that as soon as the parts have been moved to the positions shown in Fig. 1, the lever 6'is again operated to fill the rear row of bottles with liquid from the tank and thereafter the operation of the foot lever 83 causes the carriage, with the tray 71, to be moved forward so as to bring delivered "so'as to cause jamming of any iam parts of the apparatus and even if such jamming should occur there is no possibility of breakage of the parts since the springs 58 permit relative movement between the rods 60 and the operating levers 59' when an abnormal resistance is offered to the movement of said rods.' The liability of the caps being improperly entered in the plungers is greatly reduced, if not prevent ed, by reason of the construction shown in Fig. 7, by which each reservoir structure is extended into an opening in the side of the plunger guiding structure as shown at 90 so as to prevent tipping of the cap by holding its rear edge from rising oil the guideway before it has been fairly moved into the cavity of the plunger 17.

Should it be desired to remove or examine the slides, or their associated parts, the columns of caps in each reservoir associated therewith is raised until it is possible to insert a pin through the opening 45*, whereby the falling out of said caps is effectually prevented.

Inasmuch as the distance between the lines of quart bottles is different from that between the lines of pint bottles, the entire capping mechanism is bodily moved toward the tank 4 through a distance equal to the difference between these distances when itis desired to operate on pint bottles. For this purpose the clamp screws 15 are loosened and the lever 13 is moved from the position shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2, thereby turning the shaft 12, breaking the toggle formed by the arms 11 and the links 10, and sliding the frame 8:011 the guide bars 7 into the desired position.

In order to make possible the adjustment of the cap reservoirs 4:5 relatively to the guideways and the slides 52, these are preferably constructed as shown in Figs. 3, 5, and '6, with a tubular bottom casting 45 and a pipe 4c5 'loosely mounted therein. Said casting is provided with adjustable foot screws 45 and is held to the structure 16 by a screw 45* which may be set up tight so as to rigidly hold it after said screws 45 have been ad 'usted to properly position the casting on t e bottom portion of the frame 8.

While I preferably make the slides in the form shown in Fig. 8, so that they are supported from the bars 50 and 51, which in turn are supported from the frame at their end "portions, I may in some cases use slides having the section shown in Fig. 12, in which instance they would be provided with edge extensions 52* fitting correspondingly formed recesses in the adjacent edges of the guideways of the frame. Under these conditions the slides would not be vertically adjustable although their upper faces would, as in the preferred form of the invention, project above the cap supporting ledges of the guideways for a distance slightly less than the thickness of the caps operated on.

I claim:

1. The combination of a cap reservoir; means for applying caps to bottles; means for delivering caps from the reservoir to the applying means; mechanism for detach ably connecting said two means under operating conditions, the same including two co-acting arms formed to interlock'when in predetermined positions; and a memberzfor operating the mechanism.

2. The combination in a bottle capping mechanism, of a device for applying caps to bottles; a device for delivering a succession of caps to the applying device; an operating member for one of said devices; and interlocking mechanism for operatively connecting both of said devices when the operating member is in a predetermined position. 1

3. Bottle capping mechanism consisting of a cap applying device; means for delivering a succession of caps to said device; 'and operating means including two co-acting, oscillatory members for temporarily connecting said device and the cap delivering means after a cap has been applied to a bottle.

4. The combination in a bottle capping machine, of a supporting structure; a device thereon for applying caps to bottles; a reservoir for caps; means for feeding a succession of caps from the reservoir to the applying means; a device for holding the cap feeding means in an inactive position;

, and an operating member formed to actuate the cap applying means when moved in one direction and formed to release and thereafter operate the cap feeding means when moved in the opposite direction.

5. The combination in a bottle capping machine, of a supporting structure; a main hollow plunger movable therein provided with a downwardly tapered portion and a side opening adjacent the same; an ejecting plunger in the main plunger; operating means for said plungers including a plungersupporting member; a bar loosely mounted on the supporting structure and connected to the ejecting plunger; a spring between the main plunger and said member; and a second spring mounted on the rod.

6. The combination in a bottle capping machine, of a supporting structure; a main hollow plunger movable therein provided with a downwardly tapered portion and a side opening adjacent the same; an ejecting plunger in the main plunger; operating means for said plunger including a plungeron the supporting structure and connected to the ejecting plunger; a spring between the main plunger and the said member; a

second spring mounted on the rod; with an adjustable abutment on the rod normally maintaining one of the springs thereon in a position to cause its compression only after the other spring has been compressed to a predetermined extent. 7

7. The combination in bottle capping mechanism, of a cap applying device including an operating shaft; cap feeding means for delivering caps to the applying device, including a movable member; an operating arm and a connecting arm fixed to said shaft; said connecting arm being formed to cooperate with the movable member of the applying device so as to actuate the same but being detachable therefrom at each operation of the machine.

8. The combination in a bottle capping machine, oia cap applying device, including an operating shaft; cap feeding means for delivering caps to the applying device, including a movable member; an operating arm and a-connecting arm both fixed to said shaft; said connecting arm being formed to cooperate with the movable member to actuate the same but being detachable therefrom at each operation; and means for re- .taining the movable member, with its attached parts, in a prrdetermined position as long as it is disengaged from the connecting arm of the applying device.

9. The combination in a bottle capping machine, of a supporting structure; a main hollow plunger slidably mounted therein and having a longitudinal recess; an abutment fitting the recess to limit the downward movement of the plunger; an ejecting plunger in the main plunger; means for feeding caps to the main plunger; means for raising and lowering the said main plunger; and means for forcing the ejecting plunger out of the main plunger after the latter has been moved to a predetermined extent to discharge a cap therefrom regardless of whether or not the main plunger is seated on a bottle.

10. The combination in a bottle capping machine, of a main plunger; an ejecting plunger operative therein; means for feeding caps to the main plunger; a toggle for operating the plungers; an actuating shaft; a cam fixed to said shaft and connected to the toggle for operating the same; and means for turning the shaft.

11. The combination in a bottle capping machine, of a main plunger; means for feeding caps to said plunger; an ejecting plunger; a member operatively connected to both of the plungers; a toggle haw ing one of its elements operative on said member; an op erating shaft; a cam fixed to the shaft and connected to the toggle for operating the same; and means for actuating the cap feeding mechanism.

12. The combination in a bottle capping machine, of a cap applying device, including an operating shaft; means for feeding a succession of caps to said applying device including a lever; an, arm fixed to said shaft; one of the members comprised by the lever and arm having a coupling pin and the other having a recess for the reception of said pin; a device for preventing movement of the cap feeding means while its lever is disengaged from the applying means; and an operating member for the saidcap applying device.

13. The combination in a bottle capping mechanism of a cap applying device including an operating member requiring a predetermined angular movement to cause the cap to be delivered to the bottle; means for feeding caps to said applying device including a member requiring an angular movement less than that of said first'member, to cause the delivery of a cap; with operating means periodically detachable from one of said members for successively actuating said device.

14. The combination in -a bottle capping machine, of a series of hollow members; a series of cap reservoirs; a series of slides for respectively transferring caps from the reservoirs to the hollow members; a transversely extending structure rigidly connected to all of the slides; means for discharging caps from said hollow members; and mechanism including a yieldable element con nected to said discharging means for reciprocating the transversely extending struc- 100 ture.

15. The combination in a bottle capping machine, of a cap reservoir; a tubular memher; a guideway having offset edges under said reservoir and entering said tubular member; a slide; means for reciprocating the slide in said guideway; a structure immediately above the guideway, where it enters said tubular member, placed to prevent tilting of a cap as it leaves the guideway; 11o and means for ejecting caps from the tubular member.

16. The combination in a bottle capping machine, of a series of hollow members: a series of cap reservoirs; a series of slides for respectively transferring caps from the reservoirs to the hollow members; a transversely extending structure rigidly connected to all of the slides; rods connected to the ends of said structure; a lever yieldingly connected to each of the rods; means for discharging caps from all of the hollow members; and an operating lever for said'means having arms formed to detachably engage said levers at each operation of the machine.

17. The combination in a bottle capping machine, of a supporting frame having guideways; a cap applying means and a cap reservoir for each guideway; a series of independent plates of uniform thickness forming slides operative in the guideways; a member slidably guided in the frame and rigidly connected directly to said slides; with means for reciprocating said member.

'18. The combination in a bottle capping machine of a frame provided with guideways and having a part adjustably connected to its main portion; cap applying means at one end of each guideway; a cap reservoir for each guideway carried on the main part of the frame; a series of slides respectively operative in the guide ways; a structure rigidly connected to the slides and reciprocable on the adjustable part of the frame; means for holding said part with the slides in predetermined positions relatively to the guideways; and means for actuating said structure.

19. The combination in a bottle capping machine of a supporting frame having a se-' ries of parallel guide-ways; a cap applying device and a cap reservoir for each guide- Way; a series of plates of uniform thickness forming slides r spectively operative in the guide-Ways; two bars slidably guided in the frame and rigidly connected to said plates; with means engaging one of the bars for reciprocating the same.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

JOSEPH BARDSLEY.

\Vitnesses WILLIAM E. BRADLEY, J os. H. KLEIN. 

